Double cup separable into upper and lower sections

ABSTRACT

A double cup capable of containing snacks and drinks in a separate manner is provided so as to allow consumers to enjoy snacks and drinks at the same time. The double cup is divided into an upper section and a lower section through an auxiliary member having a drinking straw insertion portion, and the auxiliary member is a disk having a tapered outer periphery or an auxiliary cup having a shape same as that of the main cup. The auxiliary member is an auxiliary cup having a recess of a predetermined shape formed at the side surface of the auxiliary member, and the auxiliary cup has a stopper formed along an outer periphery of the top of the auxiliary cup in such a manner that an outer periphery of the auxiliary cup excluding the recess contacts an inner periphery of the main cup when inserted into the main cup, and the stopper is disposed onto the top of the main cup. The space defined between the main cup and the recess of the auxiliary cup forms a drinking straw insertion portion.

[0001] The present application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/987,239 filed Nov. 14, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a double cup which is capable of containing snacks and drinks in a separate manner so as to allow consumers to enjoy snacks and drinks at the same time. More particularly, the present invention relates to a double cup in which a disk or cup type auxiliary member with a variety types of drinking straw insertion portions formed thereat is inserted into the main cup so as to divide the interior of the main cup into an upper section and lower section. Thus, consumers drink beverages through straws from the main cup and eat snacks from the auxiliary member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In general, people enjoy convenience foods such as fried chicken or french fried potatoes in places like theater, park or passenger compartment of motor vehicle, together with drinks such as water, coke, soda pop and juice. In such cases, two containers are required for drinks and foods, respectively, and consumers have to use both hands to hold each container. Thus, consumers may suffer from inconveniences of using both hands, increasing the risk of spilling drinks or snacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides a new and improved double cup which overcomes the drawbacks enumerated above caused due to the configuration where containers for drinks and snacks are arranged in an individual manner.

[0005] It is an object of the prevent invention to provide a double cup capable of containing snacks and drinks at the same time into a single cup configuration so as to thereby reduce material consumption, and increase user conveniences by allowing users to drink or eat food in a convenient manner while holding the cup with one hand.

[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a double cup having a main cup which is separable into an upper section and a lower section through an auxiliary member, while preventing drink from entering the auxiliary member which contains snacks.

[0007] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a double cup equipped with means for allowing the drink contained in the main cup and food contained in the auxiliary member to be readily refilled or replaced.

[0008] To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a double cup having a main cup separable into an upper section and a lower section through an auxiliary member having a drinking straw insertion portion formed thereat. Preferably, the auxiliary member is a disk having a tapered outer periphery or an auxiliary cup having a shape similar to the shape of the main cup. More preferably, the disk or auxiliary cup has a drinking straw guide rod which is hollow and has a predetermined height.

[0009] The auxiliary member is an auxiliary cup having a recess formed at a side surface of the cup, in which the cup has at an upper outer periphery thereof a stopper so as to allow the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup excluding the recess of the auxiliary cup to be inserted into the main cup, while contacting the inner periphery of the main cup. Thus, the stopper is fitted to the upper outer periphery of the main cup so as to be disposed onto the main cup. The space between the main cup and auxiliary cup forms a drinking straw insertion portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 1b is a perspective view illustrating a disk serving as an auxiliary member in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIGS. 3a and 3 b are sectional views illustrating the coupled state of the double cup shown in FIG. 2;

[0014]FIGS. 4, 5a and 5 b illustrate alternative embodiments of the double cup of the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4 and FIG. 5a are exploded perspective views of the double cup shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5b is a section view illustrating the coupled state of the double cup shown in FIG. 2;

[0015]FIG. 6a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 6b is an exploded perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the double cup of the third embodiment of the present invention; and

[0017]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0018] A double cup of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings, identical elements bear identical reference numerals with identical functions.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1a, an auxiliary member shaped as a disk 31 having a tapered outer periphery contacting the inner periphery of a main cup 10, is inserted into the main cup 10. The disk 31 has at a center thereof a hole 51 formed for insertion of a drinking straw 20, wherein the hole 51 can be formed at any desired position.

[0020]FIG. 1b is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the disk serving as an auxiliary member in the double cup of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1b, a disk 31 a has at a center thereof a drinking straw guide rod 51 a which is hollow and allow a drinking straw to be inserted into the drinking straw guide rod 51 a. Preferably, the drinking straw guide rod 51 a has a height reaching the entrance of the main cup when the disk 31 a is mounted to the main cup 10. The drinking straw guide rod 51 a prevents snacks from being wet by the liquid(drink) when snacks are contained in the space defined by the disk 31 a in the upper portion of the main cup 10. Further, the drinking straw guide rod 51 a prevents snacks from entering the main cup containing liquid.

[0021]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, an auxiliary cup 33 having a shape similar to that of the main cup 10 is inserted into the main cup so as to divide the main cup 10 into an upper section and a lower section. The auxiliary cup 33 has a tapered slope same as or larger than the tapered slope of the main cup 10, such that the auxiliary cup 33 gets caught at a predetermined position of the main cup 10 when inserted into the main cup, thus allowing the lower space of the main cup 10 defined by the auxiliary cup to function as a container for drink. The auxiliary cup 33 has a hole 53 so as to allow the drinking straw to be inserted into the hole.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 3a, the auxiliary cup 35 has a recess 35 a formed at the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the auxiliary cup 35 so as to allow the auxiliary cup 35 to be coupled to the upper outer periphery of a main cup 11 through the recess 35 a. The recess 35 a formed at the auxiliary cup 35 contacting a rolled upper end 11 a of the main cup 11. Referring to FIG. 3b, the auxiliary cup 35 has a recess 35 b shaped to be fit to a round protrusion 11 b protruded inwardly from the top of the main cup 11. The recess 35 b formed at the auxiliary cup 35 increases rigidity of the coupled state between the main cup 11 and the auxiliary cup 35, as compared with the recess 35 a shown in FIG. 3a. The auxiliary cup 35 has a hole 55 for insertion of the drinking straw 20, wherein the hole 55 has an outer periphery 55 a protruded to a predetermined height. The outer periphery 55 a prevents snacks(S) from being wetted by a beverage(B), and functions similarly to the drinking straw guide rod 51 a shown in FIG. 1b.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 4, an auxiliary cup 37 has along an upper outer periphery thereof a stopper 37 a, such that the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 37 contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10 when the auxiliary cup is inserted into the main cup. Thus, the stopper 37 a gets caught at the top of the main cup 10. Preferably, the auxiliary cup 37 has a tapered slope same as that of the main cup 10, and a height same as or lower than the height of the main cup 10.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b, the double cup has a configuration same as the double cup shown in FIG. 4, except that a drinking straw guide rod 59 which is hollow forms a drinking straw insertion portion. The drinking straw guide rod 59 prevents snacks contained in the auxiliary cup 39 from being wetted by the beverage. Reference numeral 39 a denotes a stopper for allowing the auxiliary cup 39 to be mounted at the outer periphery of the top of the main cup 10.

[0025]FIG. 6a is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6b is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup as an alternative embodiment of the third embodiment.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 6a. an auxiliary cup 41 having a recess 41 b formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup 41 is employed as an auxiliary member for dividing the main cup 10 into an upper section and a lower section. The auxiliary cup 41 has a stopper 41 a formed at the top of the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 41, such that the auxiliary cup gets caught at the top of the main cup 10 through the stopper 41 a. The recess 41 b formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup 41 forms a space for insertion of the drinking straw between the main cup 10 and the recess 41 b of the auxiliary cup 41, when the auxiliary cup 41 is inserted into the main cup in such a manner that the outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 41 but the recess 41 b contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10. The double cup shown in FIG. 6b differs from the double cup shown in FIG. 6a, in that the one shown in FIG. 6b has a surface 43 b formed by cutting out a portion of the side wall of an auxiliary cup 43. Reference numeral 43 a denotes a stopper. The space defined between the surface 43 b of the auxiliary cup 43 and the inner periphery of the main cup 10 allows the main cup of the auxiliary cup to be readily refilled with beverage or snacks. The double cup of the present invention eliminates the necessity of forming a drinking straw hole at the auxiliary cup, to thereby prevent snacks contained in the auxiliary cup from being wetted by the beverage contained in the main cup.

[0027]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a double cup according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the auxiliary member is an auxiliary cup 45 having a stopper 45 a formed at the top of the auxiliary cup and surfaces 45 b and 45 c formed at the side surfaces of the cup. The outer periphery of the auxiliary cup 45 excluding surfaces 45 b and 45 c contacts the inner periphery of the main cup 10 when the auxiliary cup 45 is inserted into the main cup 10. Thus, the stopper 45 a contacts the top of the main cup. Holes 61 a and 61 b are formed at the stopper 45 a of the auxiliary cup so as to allow drinking straws 20 a and 20 b to be inserted into holes 61 a and 61 b. The double cup according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention allows two consumers to eat snacks contained in the auxiliary cup 45 or drink beverage contained in the main cup 10 at the same time.

[0028] As described above, a double cup of the present invention is advantageous in that the cup is divided into upper and lower sections through a variety types of auxiliary members so as to contain snacks and beverages at the same time, thus reducing materials for manufacturing cups and allowing consumers to eat or drink in a convenient manner.

[0029] Further, the present invention has a hollow drinking straw guide rod formed at the auxiliary member so as to prevent beverages from entering the auxiliary member containing snacks.

[0030] The double cup of the present invention has a recess or plane surface formed at the side surface of the auxiliary cup, such that the main cup and auxiliary cup can be easily refilled with snacks or drink through the space formed between the inner periphery of the main cup and the recess or plane surface formed at the auxiliary cup.

[0031] While preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specifics of these embodiments, but rather is defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A double cup comprising a main cup and an auxiliary cup, wherein said auxiliary cup has a shape which is the same as that of said main cup, and wherein said auxiliary cup has a recess formed at an outer periphery of a lower surface of said auxiliary cup, said auxiliary cup being coupled to an upper portion of said main cup through said recess, wherein said auxiliary cup has a hole with a protrusion extending to a predetermined height and formed at a lower surface of said auxiliary cup.
 2. The double cup of claim 1 wherein the periphery of the upper surface of said main cup comprises a rounded portion having a top and wherein said recess in said lower surface of said auxiliary cup extends only so far as the top of said rounded portion.
 3. The double cup of claim 2 wherein said rounded portion has a part which extends outwardly from said cup outwards of said top of said rounded portion, wherein there is no part of said auxiliary cup which overlies said part.
 4. The double cup of claim 2 wherein said double cup consists only of two pieces, said two pieces being said main cup and said auxiliary cup.
 5. The double cup of claim 3 wherein said double cup consists only of two pieces, said two pieces being said main cup and said auxiliary cup. 